Consuming Shadows
by rusticsky
Summary: I never knew that anyone could go so far from the cat they once were, when they didn't even have themself to blame. That's what I did- I watched someone change completely. And there was nothing I could do about it. It hurt. Over time… over time I realized that I loved her. And that she loved me too. (full description in story)
1. Pilot

**This is a REWRITE of a previous fanfiction known as Shadows Rising. This is the first chapter, the Pilot. If I like how it goes, there may be more! But please, _please_ review, because that will influence my decision!**

 **Willowdawn, Cinderpaw, Claypaw, and Eagleleaf are all ThunderClan cats. But Willowdawn, Cinderpaw, and Claypaw all begin to discover that they have powers. With the knowledge of a prophecy, and that he no longer wants to be a medicine cat, Eagleleaf tries to help the three. But Willowdawn begins to be consumed by the darkness, and that's only the start of the chaos of the prophecy. A war clearly looms ahead, but who is the goodie, and who is the baddie? And is Willowdawn herself the reason that the clans will fall?**

"Willowdawn, come on, don't you want to impress Pinestar by bringing back the most prey?" Jaggedclaw called, already twenty fox-lengths away from me. I rolled my eyes. Typical Jaggedclaw!

"We are _not_ going into WindClan territory just for a few rabbits! I'd much rather fish, let alone swim!" I turned my gaze away from the silly warrior, glancing towards ThunderClan camp. _Well, I suppose anything's better than getting in arguments with Cinderpaw._ Upon thinking of my younger sister, I scoffed. My sister blamed me for everything- our mother's death (badgers killed her), though, was the main component. She took it way too personally, and she barely ever knew the cat! I, on the other hand, had grown extremely close to her. My father, Fallenstrike, and I had mourned her for moons. "Fine, but if we get caught, it's all your fault!"

I swore I heard a snicker from Jaggedclaw, as we continued hurrying to the border. Cold snowflakes came tumbling down, light at the moment but sure to build up to a blizzard later. Running through the snow was like being an apprentice again. It was the first snow of the season, beginning last night and already layering up pretty thickly. I sure loved snow.

The small stream that marked the border was freezing over, so to avoid the thin ice I leaped over it. There was a break in the clouds, so I soaked in the brief period of sun. We headed up and over a hill. A hare appeared, sniffing a few blades of grass sticking out of the snow.

"There," I growled, under my breath, "go get it, Jaggedclaw." While Jaggedclaw caught the hare, I made my way to the other side of the border. I waited. And waited. He didn't return. Nervously, I jumped back across, trying to see what the commotion was. I climbed the hill, before gasping. Jaggedclaw was being confronted by a party of WindClan warriors. He looked so scrawny compared to the long furred, large warriors. I rolled my eyes. I had to stay out of this, I couldn't risk getting in trouble!

I quickly ran back to the camp, my eyes wide. If I could beat the WindClan patrol, then I'd be in luck. Pinestar was laying on top of the HighLedge, his paws dangling off as he watched over. "Pinestar!" I called, before carefully navigating my way to the area below the HighLedge. "Jaggedclaw got in some trouble with WindClan, he needs help!" Pinestar, needing no further explanation, got up from his rest and followed me to the WindClan border, followed by a group of cats who had nothing better to do with their time. We weren't even halfway there when we met the WindClan patrol… and Jaggedclaw. The cats surrounded Jaggedclaw, making it appear like he was their prisoner.

"Pinestar," a tom growled, "is this cat a part of ThunderClan?"

"Yes, what's the problem?" Pinestar questioned, "Jaggedclaw, what did you do?"

"We caught him stealing prey on _our_ territory," replied one of the she-cats.

"Pine, pine, pine pine…" Fallowsnout's voice came out of nowhere, "tell Pine… darkness is set to consume the clan, but those with the powers in their hearts will vanquish them. Darkness… darkness… VANQUISH!" Fallowsnout padded along, returning from the MoonPool. Poor medicine cat was going insane… Eagleleaf appeared a bit behind her.

"I'm sorry… we'll talk to you later, Pinestar!" Eagleleaf spoke loudly, guiding Fallowsnout back to camp. I looked over at Eagleleaf, frowning. I liked him… a lot. Over the time we've known each other, my feelings have varied from friendly feelings to… to something else. He had the kindest spirit, but he was obviously not meant to be a medicine cat.

"Pay no attention to her…" Pinestar hissed, "thank you for returning Jaggedclaw, I _promise_ that we'll have a punishment for him." He nodded his head, leading his son away. The two went off, and I hurried to find Eagleleaf.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, its Fallowsnout who we should worry about," Eagleleaf lowered his head. "She's been getting worse. She received a prophecy moons ago and it's all she can remember."

"Wow, that… that sucks," I replied, frowning. "What's the prophecy about?"

"Oh, StarClan knows," Eagleleaf rolled his eyes, "oncoming darkness, and all that. It came forever ago, I'm not too worried about it coming true."

"Shouldn't you be?" I tilted my head to Eagleleaf, "if it's about darkness, the darkness could come from anywhere or anyone! Even me!" I laughed at that. "What if I'm the darkness? Wouldn't that be the day?"

"Yeah, that'd be _terrifying,_ " Eagleleaf snickered. I frowned. "I'm only joking, ya' sensitive or something?" I still frowned, not a big fan of teasing. "Oh-kay. I'll cross mocking Willowdawn off my bucket list. For good." I forced a laugh.

"Sorry, Eagle. Things have just been hard with Cinderpaw… I haven't exactly been in a good mood for awhile," I sighed, my pace slowing.

"I get it, you have family problems," Eagleleaf said, "I'll back off. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"Thanks Eagleleaf," I smiled, "you might be the one cat in all of the clans who understands." Eagleleaf offered a friendly smile. As we padded into camp, I was greeted by the sight of Cinderpaw and Claypaw. Flirting. Well, it wasn't exactly flirting. But it was as close as the two were ever going to get on my watch. I butted in, furious.

"Cinderpaw, do you know what I've gone through today?" I approached Cinderpaw, breaking the two up. I had to complain to someone, and Cinderpaw was going to get all of it. "I've had to watch my friend be in danger. And where were you? Flirting away with the second to lamest apprentice in the clan."

"Get a den!" I heard someone yowl in the background. But I didn't turn away.

"Go die, Willowdawn," hissed my half-sister, with a nervous glare at Claypaw.

"Oh shut up, you know that I'm _twice_ as important as you'll ever be!"

"Willow," warned Eagleleaf, from behind me.

"Do you know what Fallenstrike and I went through when our mother died?" at this point, I could care less about Jaggedclaw. All I cared about was making Cinderpaw seem as small and worthless as possible. "We went through hell! Like, seriously? The Dark Forest can't even _compare_ to what we went through!"

"Willowdawn, _Fallenstrike_ did not go through hell!"

"Yes he did! My father-"

"Your _father_ is the one who killed mom!"


	2. Allegiances

**ALLEGIANCES**

 **(note: I have only done the allegiances for ThunderClan, and minimal work on the others)**

 **THUNDERCLAN**

 **LEADER -** Pinestar - light russet tom with green eyes

 **DEPUTY -** Fallenstrike - dull brown tabby tom with patches of white

 **MEDICINE CAT -** Fallowsnout - pale grey she-cat with clouded blue eyes

 _ **MEDICINE CAT Apprentice**_ _\- Eagleleaf (dark brown tom with a white underbelly)_

 **WARRIORS**

Jaggedclaw - bright gold tom

Willowdawn - brown, white and orange tortoiseshell she-cat

Frostleap - white she-cat with a scar over her left eye

 _apprentice - claypaw_

Motheye - golden she-cat with pretty green eyes

Featherfoot - pale blue-grey she-cat

 _apprentice - cinderpaw_

Tansystep - russet she-cat with golden eyes

 _apprentice - palepaw_

Finchwing - grey tabby tom

 _apprentice - olivepaw_

Dawnbreeze - pretty orange she-cat with blue eyes

 _apprentice - hollowpaw_

Waverunner - white tom with grey mittens

Ivycreek - dark brown she-cat with a white chest

Blackfur - black furred tom

 **APPRENTICES**

Cinderpaw - black, ginger, and white tortoiseshell she-cat

Palepaw - pale, dusty brown she-cat

Olivepaw - dark hazel-brown she-cat

Claypaw - fluffy light gold tom with pale blue eyes

Hollowpaw - white, brown-spotted tom

 **QUEENS**

Sparrowleap - grey tabby she-cat (mother to Beetlekit, Muddykit, and Stonekit)

Leopardshine - ginger she-cat with white spots, expecting

 **ELDERS**

Wornears - old, matted grey tom with a loss of hearing

Juniperfeather - once pretty grey-blue she-cat

 **WINDCLAN**

 **LEADER -** Gorsestar - hostile golden tom with amber eyes

 **DEPUTY -** Kestrelgaze - ginger tom with a strikingly fierce appearance

 **MEDICINE CAT -** Songheart - sweet, small black she-cat

 **RIVERCLAN**

 **LEADER -** Heavystar - dark grey, overweight tom, former kittypet

 **DEPUTY -** Lionpool - surprisingly hostile, fluffy golden tom

 **MEDICINE CAT -** Icemeadow - pretty light grey she-cat

 **SHADOWCLAN**

 **LEADER -** Horsestar - very dark brown tom

 **DEPUTY -** Stumpyheart - black tom with a stumpy tail

 **MEDICINE CAT -** Echowhisper - tortiseshell she-cat

(NOTE: THE ALL MALE LEADERS/DEPUTYS ARE THERE FOR A REASON)

 **I dunno when the next chapter will be done, but hopefully soon!**


	3. A Badger

**Can I just say, I'm so glad that you're enjoying this! So here's the next chapter. SIBLING DRAMA!  
I'm going to introduce Clay's POV ****_next_** ** _chapter_**. **He's pretty vital to the story,** **I promise!**

On a day in the midst of autumn, my mother Speckledheart gave birth to a litter of kits, but I was only their half-sister. Before this, fights had driven Fallenstrike and Speckledheart to vowing that I was the only reason that they'd ever speak again. So Fallenstrike took an immediate stance on his feelings on the kits- he hated them. When Speckledheart's mate Hawkstreak died, I could tell that Fallenstrike couldn't be happier. But the more and more annoying Speckledheart and her kits got, the more jealous Fallenstrike grew. Eventually, one day, when I was just a naive apprentice, Fallenstrike decided that he and I were going to run away to find a new clan. After having no luck, we returned to ThunderClan. A while later, in the middle of leaf-fall-

" _Fa, where are you and Ma going?"_

" _Just on a hunt, don't worry Willowpaw. We'll be back as soon as possible," Fallenstrike had said, his words soft and content. He was so trustworthy then, He'd gone off with Speckledheart. I had not questioned why he was hunting with a queen, for things like that didn't matter. I was too hopeful that they'd find a way to compromise and get back together. Hours later, a yowl frightened me._

" _Badgers! They- they killed Speckledheart! And her kits followed… they've… they've been killed as well!" it was my Father's voice, loud and clear. He sounded frightened, something I'd rarely heard from him. I ran towards the voice, finding Fallenstrike and letting him lead me to… well, I didn't know what to expect. We padded through the deep snow, and I was trying to believe that it was all a hoax. That my Ma, my beautiful, sweet Ma, wasn't dead. That she was still alive, and that she had a surprise for me._

 _But there she was, under the overhang of a log, bleeding and dead. Two limp bodies lay beside her, with little to no damage showing. But blood seeped from their necks, almost like they'd been snapped. I stared at the carcasses, not believing my eyes. A little body crawled out from a bush._

" _Is Ma gonna be okay?" it squeaked, trying to get to Speckledheart. But I knew she wouldn't walk again. Reality had hit me way too hard._

" _No…" I growled, "Ma'll never walk again, all thanks to you." But at the time, I wasn't violent. I'd never hurt my half sister- Cinderkit was too weak. But I stared her in the eye, dead on. "It's all your fault."_

My rage had never gone away. But standing above Cinderpaw, hearing that it had been my _father_ who'd killed her… Suddenly things made sense. My gaze softened. I began to relax a little. Deep breaths.

"I… I can't believe that all this time…" I quietly whimpered, but Cinderpaw simply nodded. She didn't speak another word, before turning away, her tail delicately swiping at the air.

Days passed. I heard everyone gossiping about my relationship with Cinderpaw. But funniest was Frostleap complaining about her apprentice Claypaw, who'd much rather daydream up things than train. Cinderpaw apparently talked about him constantly, and her crush on him didn't go unseen to even the cats who didn't talk to her, like me. I felt bad for Frostleap. Pinestar made an announcement- that later that day Cinderpaw, Claypaw, and Olivepaw would be receiving their warrior names. I guess Frostleap's complaining finally paid off.

Pinestar put me in charge of Jaggedclaw. Whenever he went on a hunt, I had to go too. He made himself very clear that if Jaggedclaw went out of ThunderClan territory, he would personally rip him to shreds. But I suppose this was all normal. Jaggedclaw got in trouble literally once a moon, and he always found a way around the repercussions.

We were walking in the snow, our paws making delicate pawprints. The snow had gotten deep over time, so walking was pretty difficult. The calling of Pinestar was inevitable, and when I heard it, I shot an annoyed glare at Jaggedclaw. We were pretty outside of camp. Hopefully they wouldn't start the ceremony without us! I quickened my pace, at this moment not caring if Jaggedclaw was beside me. I wanted to make it to the ceremony not to congratulate Cinderpaw- but to apologize to her on one of the biggest days of her life. I would apologize to her about seeing everything wrong- for yelling at her. Sure, I might have been mad at her not telling me until now, but maybe she _had_ tried to tell me. Maybe all of those years… maybe I just hadn't listened. I likely hadn't listened because when I was little, I worshipped my father. And I wanted nothing to do with my annoying half sister.

As we hurried along, my mind was racing. From figuring out how to apologize, to the fact that Cinderpaw would soon be joining me on patrols. The thought was strange- for the two of us had never actually been in the same position together. When she became an apprentice, I became a warrior. Literally on the day she became an apprentice, I got my warrior name. So I've always thought I've had some authority over her. But Cinderpaw was growing up now… As I saw her below the highledge, my heartbeat rose. My brain told me, _Cinderpaw's gonna be an enemy!_ But my heart told me that Cinderpaw would be no threat to me. I was hoping that my heart was right. Jaggedclaw and I both took a seat in the group of cats, watching as Olivepaw received her name.

"From this moment on, you will be known as Oliveleaf. StarClan honors your bravery and ability," Pinestar lowered his head in respect for his daughter. "Cinderpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Cinderpaw dipped her head, like every humane cat does at their ceremony.

"Then from this moment on, your name will be Cinderdapple. StarClan honors your strength, though not always in battle," Pinestar cast a glance over at me, which made me gulp. After getting Claypaw to say 'I do,' "Claypaw, from this moment on, you will no longer be known as Claypaw but as Claysight. StarClan honors your gifts, however strange they might be." _I wonder what he means…_ After the ceremony, I knew that cats would be crowding Cinderdapple in congratulations. But I simply approached her, and sighed.

"Cinderdapple, can I grab you for a second?" I asked, politely and carefully. I was sure not to seem rude. Our relationship was already on a descent, plummeting towards hatred. She nodded, and the two of us walked to an area outside of the quarry, with some trees.

"What, Willowdawn?" the new warrior asked, fur bristling and nostrils flaring, "what are you going to bug me about this time?" I took a deep breath.

"I want to apologize, for…" I hesitated, "a lot." My look of guilt was unmistakable. "I'm sorry that I've treated like crap. And worse… that I didn't listen. I'm so sorry, Cinder _dapple_." I lowered my head in respect for the new warrior. She may not have been superior to me, but she deserved my apology. And, maybe even respect.

"Thank you, Willowdawn."

"You're welcome."

"No, not for the apology."

"For what, then?"

Cinderdapple began to walk away.

"Cinderdapple, answer me!"

"For teaching me what not to become."


	4. Death of a Leader

**Finally introducing Claysight's POV! Woot, plot movement and character development!**

 **CLAY  
THE DEATH OF A LEADER**

I'm not the most important or noticeable cat in ThunderClan. In fact, the most interesting thing that most cats know about me is my especially fluffy, golden coat. And the fact that my training went absolutely terrible. But I swear, it wasn't for a bad reason. It was for the fact that my trainer didn't see what I could.

Many cats would call it insanity, but I called it imagination. When I trained, I didn't hunt creatures on the ground. I'd leap from star to floating star, having a grand old time chasing after squirrels in trees and branches. But I basically blanked out, and when I blinked the stars were gone. There was no squirrel in my jaws. That annoyed my mentor Frostleap, who just wanted an easy apprentice. But having an imagination, in ThunderClan, was a thing that was bad. It made you difficult- even worse, different. Being different was frowned upon.

But today, I didn't feel different. Today, I held my head low. Because my father- my father, the leader of ThunderClan, had just been killed. I cast an uneasy glance at Willowdawn, a warrior who was in the same position as me. Both her and my father… badgers had gotten to them.

Most cats would say having compassion for those who mocked you was a lame and unrealistic idea, who in their rightful mind could ever forgive someone? But not me. My father had never had faith in me, to him I was a mistake. My lack of ability and tendency to daydream were not something to be proud of. And Willowdawn's father, Fallenstrike, had always practically spat on me like I was nothing. But any death is not a laughing, nor smiling matter. And the fact that these two were both the leader and deputy of a clan, and did their job well, made me sad. Because I never got the chance to prove myself to them.

I held my head low, beside my mother, and siblings. The medicine cat and her apprentice slowly padded up to the highledge in silence. They both sat down. Eagleleaf began to speak, loudly but with a solemn tone. "Today is not a day for us to be… happy about. Both our leader and deputy have passed away, and it is not an avoidable topic. Fallowsnout and I have spoken, and we've decided upon a new leader for the clan- we think it best that Waverunner takes the position."

"Waverunner! Waverunner!" cats around me chanted. My family, as well as Willowdawn, stayed silent. I cast a weak smile at the tom, who was making his way up to the high ledge. I was still… struggling to deal with my father's death. It wasn't something one got over easily. I cast a glance at Willowdawn. The she-cat looked angry, not sad. Her face was scrunched, a scowl gracing it.

"Thank you, Eagleleaf and Faowsnout, I am forever thankful," Waverunner spoke, his deep voice loud, "and for my deputy, I choose Motheye. She's a reliable she-cat whom I believe will someday make a fine leader."

"You should be off to the Moonpool," Eagleleaf mewed in a hushed tone, but loud enough so we could hear.

"I suppose so," Waverunner replied, "thank you, again." He and Fallowsnout padded down to enter the medicine cat den, while Eagleleaf sat at the top of the highledge.

"Fallenstrike and Pinestar were such kind cats, and I'm very sorry to see them go," Eagleleaf looked directly at Willowdawn. It was hard to deny that they had chemistry. "But the clan must move on. We've buried the bodies, as you all know, and their spirits are surely in StarClan, or wherever they may wander. I am so very sorry, again." He dipped his head, before leaving the spotlight. We all started to spread out, leaving our place of gathering. I noticed Willowdawn furiously ranting to Eagleleaf, but spotted a strangely half-smiling Cinderdapple.

"Are you alright?" I asked, quietly, "you have a difficult family, I know." Cinderdapple hesitated, taking a deep breath.

"Fallenstrike shouldn't be as glorified as he is…" she started mumbling, "he's one cat I'm glad to see go."

"I know, Cinderdapple," I mewed, "many of us could care less for him."

"I suppose so…" she sighed. "But he's done some horrible things. In no way did he deserve what he got in life." I nodded.

"Maybe so, but then we wouldn't have your sister, would we?"

"Half-sister," Cinderdapple snapped, "we may share the same mother, but in no way are we sisterly."

"Alright, alright," I rolled my eyes, "you two are a lot alike, you know."

"We could care less about one another," Cinderdapple shrugged, "wish I wasn't stuck with her, but I'm sure we're related to each other for a reason." I stared into Cinderdapple's eyes, a dark forest green. I was so lost in them, their beauty practically announcing itself, that I didn't speak. "Claysight? You alright?"

"Yeah, sorry," I shook my head, snapping out of the trance. "You have pretty eyes, you know?"

"Thanks," Cinderdapple gave me a confused smile, "you aren't as weird as people say, Claysight. In my opinion, you're a pretty cool guy." _A pretty cool guy._


	5. Another's Powers

**Back to Willow! Now that I'm almost past the exposition, I should be more inclined to write. I don't have anything crazy going on for a while, which is absolutely fantastic. This chapter basically wrote itself. Looking back at my original version of this (which isn't all updated on here) for inspiration helps. I'm following close to the original plot, and the characters are pretty identical but have developed much better (with my writing being much more advanced, thank goodness!) So sorry about the long author's note, here's the story!**

 **ANOTHER'S POWERS  
WILLOW**

I was furious that Eagleleaf didn't pick me to be leader. I had anger problems, sure. I was young, sure. But I was clearly the most intelligent choice. Besides, there hasn't been a she-cat leader or deputy in generations. I was so mad at Waverunner and Finchwing that I began to take off into a run in their direction. My claws were unsheathed. I was running into a battle I could logically not win, but I was so mad that I'd do anything to get revenge.

Not much later; I was in a rocky situation. Waverunner and Finchwing had me cornered, on a cliff above the lake. "What the Dark Forest, Willowdawn? We thought you were one we could trust," Waverunner looked fairly concerned.

"At this point in time, I think there's only one logical ending to this," I snapped, backing up, "you let me off this damn rock, and make me deputy."

"No, he's deputy, fair and square," Waverunner hissed, "and you, I'm afraid, are my subject." He stared me down, "bow down, _subject."_ He spat it again, "bow down, subject!" When I didn't obey, Finchwing took a step towards me.

"Running out of time, Willowdawn," Finchwing teased, "you better obey."

"Why should I bow down to someone like you?"

I had one step left- one step left and I was vulture food.

"Bow _down,_ " Waverunner's voice seemed to boom over me, as Finchwing took a step and I was forced to fall. Only… I didn't. Well, a bit. In the middle of my fall, I was suspended. I sat in midair, feeling like there was something holding me up. I looked over, to see a distressed Cinderdapple, who was exceedingly focused on me.

"How…" she mumbled, before moving me back onto the rock, knocking Finchwing out of the way. FInchwing and Waverunner fell limp.

"Cinderdapple! Did you… how…?"

"I don't know, it just happened," she replied, terrified.

"Thank StarClan for this!" I was nearly worked up. "Cinderdapple, you saved my life! But… but…" It all fell into reality. "That's impossible. And… and magic isn't real." If it was real, it had got to be pretty dangerous. She'd killed Waverunner and Finchwing, without trying. But she also saved me. Not once did it occur to me to act jealous. Which was strange, because I was jealous most of the time. At this point, all I was was thankful to be alive. I didn't get chosen for deputy or leader, but it at this point, did it even matter?

That night, I swear the stars were aligned differently. Maybe it was just me. I couldn't sleep. What was up with me? Had the discovery of Cinderdapple's powers thrown me off? No. They couldn't have. They were another cat's powers, not mine. What if I did have powers? What might I use them for? More importantly, what might they be? Something elemental, or… or… I was getting carried away. I took a deep breath, before remembering. _You're Willowdawn. You are a ThunderClan cat, and you are absolutely normal._ But Cinderdapple had thought she was normal. So was I, really? All the conspiracies were making my head hurt…

 _Are you really normal, Willowdawn? Because I say you're not._

 _Who the Dark Forest are you?_ I thought to myself, or to whoever. A new voice. In my head. It laughed.

 _You are anything but normal, Willowdawn. You're as special as they come._

 _Who are you?_ I restated the question.

 _I cannot say, Willowstar. But the one thing I do know is how to help._

 _I don't need your help._

 _Yes, you do. Don't you want to unlock more power than your sister?_

 _Well, of course, but that's not realis-_

 _No, Willowdawn, it is in fact completely realistic. Close your eyes now, we can speak in the morning…_

I rolled my eyes, not believing this. But I closed them anyway, before miraculously falling into a deep sleep.

 _Gosh, that was a strange dream. Powers. Ha._ I stretched myself out, with no reply from the mysterious voice. It had had to be a dream. I walked out of the den, only to see a distressed Eagleleaf talking to Fallowsnout.

"I can't keep doing this. I'm sorry, but I need to speak with Blackstar," Eagleleaf frowned, "but I'll still help you, Fallowsnout, when I can." _What is he talking about…?_ I padded over to him, the coolness of the wind chilling my fur. "Morning, Willowdawn." The medicine cat bowed his head in greeting.

"No need to be formal, Eagle," I blushed, a bit embarrassed by his actions, "What were you and Fallowsnout discussing?" Eagleleaf cast a normal glance in the direction of the fleeing Fallowsnout.

"I'm going to become a warrior, Willowdawn," he sighed, taking a deep breath. My face lit up.

"Oh my stars, that's wonderful!" after a second of happiness, I frowned, "but won't you have to train?"

"Sure," he shrugged, "but I'll probably keep my name." For a moment we just stared at each other, both extremely happy. I was happy for him, and he… well, he was probably happy for himself. Himself. Obviously. Who else would he be happy for? The thought of the both of us fleeted. He probably didn't even think of loving selfish old me. But… but what if he did? He made me happy, could I ever bring him joy too?

Feelings. I had never had feelings like these. I didn't know how to juggle them. Until now I'd only seen Eagleleaf as a friend. But now, there was a small chance that someday we could get together. And that made me far too happy. Vying for a cat you could never have was tough enough, why did he finally have to be within grasp?

"Well," I broke the sudden silence, "you should go speak with Blackstar now, shouldn't you?"

"I suppose," Eagleleaf shrugged, before beginning to walk away. But before he reached the leader's den, he turned, and cast me a smile, "wish me luck, Willowdawn."

"Good luck, Eagleleaf," I replied, with a hopeful smile. _Oh gosh, I really do like him..._


	6. The Dream

**MORE PLOT DEVELOPMENT! Gosh, I'm actually getting into this story. These characters are really fun to write. So enjoy the chapter!**

 **THE DREAM  
CLAY**

I opened my eyes. Funny how in dreams, that can happen. I knew it was a dream. I was fully conscious, yet I had fallen asleep just minutes ago. I was not in a forest. I was on an island (not quite the Gathering Island) covered in sand and enough rocks to provide entertainment for kits and apprentices for days. There was a cat resting on top of one rock, her eyes distantly watching the water around the island. There was no other land in sight besides a mountainous shoreline miles away.

"The darkness is set to consume the clan… only those with enough power in their hearts can stop it…" mumbled the cat. I lept on rocks, climbing over to see who it was. It was Fallowsnout, her eyes filled with fear. She had no clue that I was there. Suddenly, she snapped out of it. "Claysight?"

"Fallowsnout? You… recognize me?" I was confused- Fallowsnout was mad. She never addressed anyone by their full name.

"Of course I do," she shook her head, "but… what are you doing in _my_ dream?"

"Your dream?"

"Yes, you are walking in my dream. Unless I'm dreaming of you," Fallowsnout proposed. I grimaced, "which I absolutely would never do."

"Well, that's certainly good," I rolled my eyes. "But how am I… here?"

"I suppose StarClan wished you here. Unless, unless you weren't called… maybe this is of your own doing," Fallowsnout began to trail off, her brain obviously working.

"Why would I want to speak with you?" I mused, before adding, "no offense, of course, but you're mad."

"Indeed, in the world where cats walk, but in dreams, I am just as intelligent as I was once, before the accident," Fallowsnout took a deep breath, "now I suppose you're wondering what this accident is, aren't you?" I nodded. "Well, then, sit tight, because it's quite the long story." I nodded, before taking a seat.

"Not long after you were born, me and my apprentice, who is now known as Eagleleaf, although recent circumstances…" she trailed off, before shaking her head, "Eagleleaf and I were off searching for herbs, when we were attacked by a group of cats with… abilities. Eagleleaf ran off to get help, leaving me to deal with them. The cats pinned me, and did something using their magic. I have absolutely no clue what they did, but it made my walking self go mad. I suppose it isn't as entertaining as it was suggested to be, but it is the most scary moment in my life."

I took a deep breath, "and now you've… you've become…"

"Yes, insane, as you might say. But, I'm not… not really. My mind is intact, but I'm not allowed to speak of anything 'intelligent,'" explained Fallowsnout, rising to her paws. "Now that that mystery is solved, I suppose we should move onto the bigger question- _how_ are you here?"

"I don't really know."

"Well, yes, you wouldn't know, obviously that makes sense. You see, if StarClan wished you here, all we would be able to do is simply engage in conversation, but if you are here on your own accord- in this case, with dream 'walking' abilities, you might be able to, figuratively, control your surroundings, summon things, frankly anything is possible," Fallowsnout jumped from rock to rock as she talked, "so go ahead, imagine anything. Make the waves do as you like. But try not to harm me in any way. Because if you get killed in a dream, you get killed in reality."

I squeezed my eyes shut. I had an idea of what I wanted to do.

"Can I trust you, Fallowsnout?"

"It isn't like I can tell anyone."

"True."

So I painted Cinderdapple in the sand, using leaves, rocks, whatever was on hand. I added the sparkles in her eyes with seashells. The thought of her face made the objects move as they pleased. Because I loved her, and I was their boss. By the time it was finished, it looked almost exactly like her. _A masterpiece,_ I grinned.

"You and Cinderdapple, then," concluded Fallowsnout. She gave a pleasant smile. "The troubled dreamer and the tortured fighter. I can see it." Fallowsnout laid down, before looking up at me. "I'm getting ready to awaken, I suggest that you lay down and join me. Its nearly sunrise."

I nodded, before curling up nearby the medicine cat. It turns out some cats aren't as insane as they may seem.

* * *

"Claysight, you better wake up! Oh, come on…" I opened my eyes to the sight of Cinderdapple leaning over me, her face distressed, "There! See, I knew I could wake him up!" she was yowling to someone in the distance- I didn't feel like seeing who. "Right. WindClan's in camp, and you need to get up."

WindClan? Gosh, could this morning be any more confusing?


	7. Shadows Rising

**Longer chapter today, folks!**

 **SHADOWS RISING  
WILLOW**

"Willowdawn, some help, please?" screeched a terrified Eagleblaze. He was brand new to the whole "warrior" thing, having just gotten rid of his rank of medicine cat the day before. I ran to his aid. A WindClan tom was cornering him.

"You ain't no medicine cat anymore, Eagleblaze. Don't think I won't get my claws dirty," the dusty tom sneered. Eagleblaze's fur was on end. I quickly ran, and leapt. The tom, who'd previously been attacking Eagleblaze, was now in my grasp. I had him pinned, giving Eagleblaze enough time to run to a safe place. The tom hissed at me. "Who the Dark Forest are you?" For some reason, I swear I saw fear in his eyes. I was easily smaller than him. So why was he afraid?

"I'm a ThunderClan warrior, that's who I am," I let up my grasp on him, "and we take attacks very personally." The tom was desperate to escape, sliding out from underneath me and running away. I took a deep sigh, fairly confused. Gee, was I _that_ intimidating?

Cinderdapple and Oliveleaf were taking on two warriors, quite a distance away. I'd seen them at gatherings before- Harestreak and Jadeheart. They'd been nice enough, but were pretty masculine. Cinder and Olive were doing fine, so I padded off to go find anyone else I could help. But that had only been the beginning of the bloodshed. A clearing held at least half of the warriors from both clans, engaged in a bloody combat. I spotted Blackstar, attacking the WindClan deputy. Blackstar was easily the best warrior in the clan, he had the tom pinned within seconds. With our clan obviously winning, I sprinted back to camp. And that's when I freaked out.

Oliveleaf had wounds covering her pelt. Scratches and gashes. Cinderdapple was desperately trying to fend off the warriors, Eagleblaze sitting besides Oliveleaf attempting to use herbs to heal her. It was a horrific sight. Although Oliveleaf had never been the most personable cat, I still had the heart to feel bad. So I sprinted near the cats. Cinderdapple looked at me, her eyes wide. She didn't call for help. But I had to help her… her and Eagleblaze.

I focused on Jadeheart and Harestreak. I imagined them being taken out and struck through the heart. But glimpses of Oliveleaf speckled into my mind. _She needs your help, imagining them dying won't help-_ And that's when it happened. Dark, wispy streams of gray shot out from my paws, trickling down onto the ground. They spread like fog, covering the ground. And they were headed towards the WindClan warriors. I moved my paws in their direction, thinking only of their demise. Cinderdapple, and an alarmed Eagleblaze rushed away, leaving Oliveleaf trembling as her strength slowly faded. The gray streams crashed into the cats. The whole quarry shot up into a gray cloud, the smell of blood lingering in the now misty air. It didn't choke me, nor Eagleblaze and Cinderdapple. The dark gray cleared, the fog thinning.

"You did this?" Cinderdapple's voice was soft, her eyes wide with terror.

Cinderdapple and Eagleblaze stood above the now lifeless bodies, staring. The cats that I'd killed no longer looked like ordinary cats. Where their eyes should've been were dark holes. Their fur was dusted in black, the original colors barely seeping through. And where I'd, or the shadows, had killed them was a charred spot, no bigger than a paw. Eagleblaze leaned his head down, sniffing the bodies.

"They smell like…" he took a second, before saying softly, "nothing." Cinderdapple looked up at me, studying my face.

"That black spot on your right ear. I swear I've never seen that before," Cinderdapple squinted. "Is it just me?" Eagleblaze took a step forward.

"No, your right. It's never been there," he confirmed. "Then how'd it get there…?"

"That's not the priority, right now," snapped Cinderdapple, looking back towards the clearing. "Our biggest priority should be figuring out what in the name of StarClan just happened."

"Well it's nothing weirder than your pow-" I began saying, before Cinderdapple cast me a glare. "I mean, yeah, the battle. We should go help."

"Help," Cinderdapple nodded. "Right." I cast an uneasy glance at Eagleblaze. He simply looked down, a solemn look to his expression.

"What's wrong, Eagleblaze?" I took a step towards him, concerned. He simply closed his eyes.

"Not being able to help someone is traumatizing, how do you cats do it?" He simply wandered off towards the nursery. "I need to go help with the kits."

Cinderdapple frowned, once he was gone. "You really like him, don't you?" She took a deep breath. I was about to snap out something, when Cinderdapple spoke, "Don't worry, I'm not judging. You deserve each other." She cast a friendly smile, something I hadn't seen from Cinderdapple in awhile.

"Thank you," I replied, before running off towards the battle. Cinderdapple approached Claysight, who was fighting off a she-cat who not at all looked threatening. I simply joined Motheye, a she-cat who had always been nice to me, in battling Heatherstep, a WindClan warrior. We left her with a few scratches, but no permanent damage.

The battle soon finished, ThunderClan triumphantly forcing WindClan off their land. WindClan dragged away Jadeheart and Harestreak's bodies, not many cats wanting to get near them. They were too eerie for anyone's likings, certainly.

When Claysight discovered the body of his sister, he had run away to the lake. Cinderdapple had quickly followed, instructing no one to join them. With Oliveleaf's death, Claysight no longer had any immediate family. The chemistry between the two was so very obvious; Cinderdapple was the best cat to comfort him. The clan would hold a silent vigil for her, the elders were to bury her body at sunset. No one asked what happened to Oliveleaf, Jadeheart, and Harestreak. Fallowsnout didn't even study the bodies. Something told me that Fallowsnout knew far more than she was able to speak of.

I found Eagleblaze by the Ancient Oak. He was rolling a pebble around in the dirt, his eyes focused on it only. I had to use my voice to catch his attention. "Eagleblaze." I walked to a rock, before speaking. "May I?"

"Go ahead," Eagleblaze mewed, his voice especially low. I nodded, taking a seat next to the rock.

"Look, about earlier…"

"I couldn't save her, alright?" his amber eyes were a blaze, fury exploding from him, "With what happened…" He trailed off, noticing his violent tone. "I had to run."

"I know," I mewed, barely a whisper. "I couldn't control it, the power. I was so focused on killing the two warriors, and with Oliveleaf's condition on my mind… it was directed towards her as well. If you hadn't moved-"

"It's my fault, not yours."

"If you hadn't moved you would've been killed too! Where would that have gotten us?" My voice lowered, "this clan wouldn't be itself without you."

"Well, I could've tried," he huffed in response.

"And you'd be dead."

He did not reply to that, his eyes focused on the ground once more. "I blame myself for Oliveleaf, how could I ever blame you? You're wonderful, you're sassy, you're sweet, and…" He looked up at me, realizing that his mouth was moving faster than his common sense. He took a breather, before saying, "It's my fault, Willowdawn. Period."

"Eagleblaze…" I took a step towards him, before losing my balance and falling right into him. The two of us crashed to the ground. He purred.

"Bit of a clutz, am I right?"

I didn't immediately jump to my paws, taking a moment to share a laugh with Eagleblaze. StarClan's name, he really did make me happy. I laid beside him.

"Eagleblaze," I had a humorous tone, quickly realizing and saying in a more serious manner, "Do you love me?"

Eagleblaze, who was too laying on his back, smiled at me, "Willowdawn, how could I not?" That brought a smile to my face.

"Eagleblaze, I'm afraid I… I love you too," I looked at Eagleblaze's face. That was something I'd wanted to tell him for quite a while now. Although we had been friends for ages, it'd never quite come to… to this.

And I couldn't be happier to be with him.


End file.
